Twilight
by NaokoYouko
Summary: Someone or something is killing people close to Naoko Youko and Kaname Hagiri. Can they find the truth before it's too late?


Twilight

By

Naoko Youko

Kaname 'Sniper' Hagiri loved Naoko Youko, and all their friends knew it. His elder sister, Tsuya Hagiri, dismissed it as nothing more than a teenage crush on the unattainable. Kind of like most humans' attraction to Carmen Electra or that English actor from that pirate movie. You may wonder why Kaname—known as 'Sniper' to most of his friends—should have regarded Naoko as unattainable. After all, it wasn't like they were complete strangers. Naoko was his closest friend, one of the few to use his first name when speaking to him. The green haired, cinnamon-eyed woman was only unattainable because of what she was: a six hundred and thirty-eight year old earth demon/fox spirit hybrid. Not only that, but she was married, and had been married once previous to that.

On one particular afternoon, approximately April the 25th to Naoko's knowledge, she was standing outside, enjoying the spring air in the park surrounded by the plants and trees she loved. At a glance, she seemed no more than human, aside from her apple green hair. And also at a glance, it was clear why Sniper's affection was directed at her. Naoko was beautiful, after all: an immortal in the body of a girl that perpetually seemed no more than seventeen. On that day, she wore sneakers, slightly worn out jeans with frayed edges, and a gray sweatshirt that hung off her shoulders and showed the thin straps of her black camisole. Her long fingered hand idly played with a crystal around her neck, her sharp raven black fingernails brushing against the amber colored pendant.

"Hey, Midori." Sniper said, walking over to her. 'Midori' was the nickname he had decided to call her a while ago, and she didn't seem to mind it. She smiled and adjusted her glasses as she looked over at the raspberry-eyed teenager.

"Hi, Kaname. What're you doing out here?" she asked in her usual quiet voice.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Sniper replied, smirking.

"Oh, I was just standing here and enjoying yet another spring day. It's strange, isn't it…?" Naoko talked like this sometime, but Sniper just figured this was what talking to someone so far above your intellectual level felt like. After all, Naoko had lived for over six centuries, so Sniper was fairly sure she had acquired a _little_ more experience in life than he had in just eighteen years.

"What's strange, Naoko?" She smiled serenely, her cinnamon eyes drifting off to the plants around them.

"Even now, it still seems strange to me that no matter what happens in the world, time still continues on, and the seasons still continue like clockwork in a perfect cycle." As she spoke, she put her hand on the amber colored crystal around her neck.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Is there a specific reason you're bringing this up?"

"Hm? Oh, no. It's nothing, Kaname." A momentary silence passed between them, broken only by a light breeze brushing through the emerald leaves of a nearby tree.

"Naoko, I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now…" She glanced over at Sniper with interested cinnamon eyes.

"Yes, what is it?" He hesitated for a moment.

"Midori, I-" Sniper was interrupted by someone suddenly materializing on Naoko's other side. He had raven black hair, deathly pale skin, and indigo eyes, not to mention pointed ears, inch long vampiric fangs, and batlike wings. The raven-haired bat adjusted his torn midnight blue hat which served as more of a headband, shooting a glare at Sniper. Naoko glanced over at him, her cinnamon eyes going right through him in the most literal sense. His name was Kuronue, and he was a bat demon that had died over eighteen years ago. Along with that, he had technically been married to Naoko, just in a different way that humans get married. Humans, you see, get married and the bond between the two of them means almost nothing. Immortal youkais, however, take a life partner and are together forever or until one of them dies. Demons are, of course, drastically different than humans.

"Hi, Kuronue." Naoko said with a smile. Kuronue had been about eight hundred and forty-something when he died, a fact that he never let Sniper forget. The bat demon was somewhat possessive of his former life partner, and he didn't exactly like Sniper's occasional flirting with her.

"Hey, Naoko." Kuronue replied, choosing to ignore Sniper. "Hiei asked me to find you. He said he wanted to talk to you about something."

"Hm? Oh, alright. I'll see you later, Kaname." Naoko said with a friendly smile.

"Later, Midori." The next second, Naoko had teleported. Kuronue shot Sniper an ice-cold glare before following her. "…I'll never figure out just what his problem is."

Seconds later…

Naoko walked into the seaside house she lived in with her current life partner, Jaganshi Hiei. He was a pyrokinetic, a hybrid of a fire demon and an ice demon. Not only that, but he possessed a clairvoyant third eye, called a Jagan eye. That, obviously, earned him the title 'Jaganshi'. As Naoko glanced around, she realized Kuronue wasn't around. This wasn't unexpected. Naoko knew Kuronue better than she knew herself, but not even she had any idea where he went half the time.

"Hiei-sama?" Naoko said, using the usual honorific she put on the end of his name. The fire demon walked into the room, brushing his jet-black hair out of his bloodred eyes. He was wearing a crimson shirt and black jeans, which Naoko couldn't help but think looked really good on him. He also wore a white headband across his forehead to hide his third eye and seem somewhat human.

"Hey, foxgirl." Hiei said with a smile.

"Kuronue said you wanted to talk to me about something." Naoko replied, sitting down in a nearby chair.

"Yeah, well…I had this weird feeling. Almost like something bad is going to happen." When Hiei said something like this, he was almost always right. So, Naoko had learned to listen pretty carefully to things like this. "Have you talked to Sniper recently?"

"Yeah, I was just talking to him a few minutes ago. Why?" Naoko was watching Hiei, concerned.

"I don't know. It's just a really bad feeling I have, and I think it might involve him…actually, all of us." Naoko put her hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be okay." She had been trying to be more optimistic recently, normally having a dark outlook on life.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. After all, we've probably been through worse." Hiei was right, since he and Naoko had been through everything from demon assassins to interdimensional transport. "I'm sure it'll be alright."

The next morning…

Naoko was staring out the window at the crimson sunrise outside. She had slept well, but for some reason she still felt tired, almost like she had run a marathon.

"Good morning, Naoko." Hiei said with a smile. The green-haired woman glanced over her shoulder and smiled back.

"Same to you, Hiei-sama."

"Naoko, you look tired. Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm okay. I just didn't sleep well." she lied, not wanting him to worry.

"Are you sure, because-" Hiei's next sentence was interrupted by a young woman teleporting next to Naoko. Her tall, thin body was shaking and her normally ash pale skin was even paler. Her indigo eyes were filled with tears and her raven-black hair, usually tied in a careful ponytail, hung around her waist.

This distressed girl's name was Silrowen, and she was the thirty-seven year old daughter of Naoko and Kuronue.

"S-Silrowen?" Naoko asked, looking worried. "What's wrong?" Despite the fact that Naoko and Silrowen had been separated for about eighteen years, the earth demon had never seen her daughter this upset. Silrowen, who looked almost exactly like her father, suddenly threw her arms around Naoko and started crying uncontrollably into her shoulder.

"What happened, Silrowen?" Hiei asked, looking worried. Still with her arms wrapped tightly around her mother's waist, Silrowen managed to say in a strained voice,

"I-It's Touya…s-someone…N-Naoko-sama, someone killed Touya…"

"Wh-what!" Naoko cried in shock, wrapping her arms around her daughter's shaking frame. Touya Kori was the shinobi of ice, and Silrowen's life partner. The raven-haired bat demon couldn't help but cry harder into Naoko's shoulder. Naoko shot Hiei a nervous glance, which he returned.

Later…

"Is Silrowen okay?" Hiei asked as Naoko walked out of her own room in their house.

"She's really upset, but she's asleep now. I cast a spell on her to prevent her from having any nightmares." Naoko seemed a little upset herself. "I just can't understand…"

"What?" Naoko was thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"Touya was a highly trained shinobi, not to mention a high-class demon. I fought him myself a couple times… For someone to kill him that easily…"

"They must have been incredibly powerful. But why would they want to kill Touya?" Hiei watched Naoko carefully as she walked to a chair and sat down, running one hand through her hair.

"Maybe it was another ice demon. After all, almost every ice demon in Makai wanted to kill him." Naoko finished her sentence with an exasperated sigh. "Damn it… I was hoping Silrowen would never have to go through the same kind of thing I did…and she's so much younger than I was when Kuronue died…"

"She'll be alright, Naoko." Hiei said reassuringly, placing one hand on her shoulder.

"How do you know that, Hiei-sama?" she replied in a toneless voice, looking pale.

"I don't. But if her parents are any indication, Silrowen's tougher than she looks. I'm sure it'll be okay, but I'll help any way I can."

"Thanks, Hiei-sama." Naoko replied, standing up and hugging him tightly. "I think I'm going to go outside for a while… Can you stay here and make sure Silrowen's okay?"

"Of course, Naoko."

"Thanks." With that, Naoko teleported.

Seconds later…

The earth demon rematerialized on the roof of Meiou High School, under an overcast early afternoon sky. The weather threatened rain at any moment, Naoko thought as she gazed at the gray clouds. She stretched out with her back to the doorway leading to the stairs, sighing. Touya had been a good friend of hers, and Naoko just couldn't understand how this could have happened. In fact, if she knew anything about this whole situation, she knew what kind of pain Silrowen was going through. Eighteen years before, she had lost the one person she cared about…and it still haunted her. As Naoko thought about this, she realized how tired she still was, and she eventually fell asleep right there on the roof of her high school.

"Naoko? Is that you?" What seemed to her like mere seconds later, she heard a woman's voice speaking and felt rain falling around her. The earth demon opened her eyes and blinked, finding a woman with raspberry-colored eyes and jet-black hair tied back in a ponytail that almost reached her waist. She was wearing a gray university uniform, and her long-fingered hand held an umbrella, shielding her from the rain.

"What're you doing here, Tsuya?" Naoko asked. This woman's name was Tsuya Hagiri, and she was Sniper's older sister at the age of twenty. Tsuya was a telepath and a sort of controller of memories, not to mention the training she had been receiving in white magic from Silrowen.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. You could get sick, staying out here in the rain." the dark haired human said in her usual calm voice.

"I don't really care, Tsuya." Naoko replied, standing up. Tsuya did the same, revealing herself to be slightly taller than Naoko.

"I heard about Touya, and I was worried about Silrowen. Is she alright?" Naoko sighed and ran one hand through her slightly wet hair.

"…She's upset. Understandably, of course, but…"

"You're worried about her?" Tsuya replied questioningly.

"Of course I am…" Naoko said quietly, running one hand through her hair again.

"Here." The young girl handed Naoko the umbrella and brushed a few strands of her raven hair from her raspberry eyes.

"Thanks, Tsuya. I appreciate it."

"No problem." The psychic girl sighed.

"…What's wrong?" Naoko asked, concerned.

"Kaname's a little upset. He didn't know Touya very well, but Silrowen's his friend and he's concerned about her current mental state." Only three people called Sniper 'Kaname': Naoko, Tsuya, and a friend of theirs named Yamisukino.

"Well…" Naoko started to say. She almost felt as if Kaname and Tsuya were like her younger brother and sister, and she felt almost protective of them. It bothered her that she couldn't figure out a way to help either of them. "If you see him before I do, tell him she'll be fine."

"I will, Naoko. See you later." Tsuya teleported, vanishing and leaving Naoko with nothing but the rain falling around her. After a few minutes, Naoko sighed and teleported as well, deciding to go home. The earth demon rematerialized outside her own house, feeling twice as exhausted as before.

"Hiei-sama, I'm home." Naoko said, closing Tsuya's umbrella and walking inside.

"Oh, good. I was starting to worry about you." the fire demon responded, sitting in a nearby chair.

"Sorry about that," she replied with an embarrassed smile. "I, er…got a little sidetracked."

"It's alright, Naoko. Silrowen left a little while ago."

"Did she look any better?" Concern predominated in Naoko's cinnamon eyes.

"Not really." Hiei replied quietly. "She did tell me a little more about what happened, though. She wasn't specific, but she mentioned that this was lying next to him." The fire demon suddenly produced a silver handheld scythe on a chain—a weapon once used by Kuronue, and now used by both Silrowen and Naoko. The razor-sharp edge of the weapon was stained with blood.

"Her scythe?" Naoko asked. "But Silrowen would never-"

"It's not hers." Hiei interrupted, his expression completely straight and emotionless. "It's yours." Naoko laughed quietly.

"That's ridiculous, Hiei-sama. My scythe's right here…" Naoko's right hand reached for the place on her belt where her scythe was always kept…but nothing was there. "But…there's no way that's mine." The skepticism in her eyes had turned to a look of shock. "I would never…Hiei-sama, you _know_ I would never-"

"Calm down, Naoko." She took a deep breath and sighed, trying to calm her racing heart. Hiei continued, saying, "I'm not accusing you of anything, so don't think I am. All I'm saying is that it's possible someone might be trying to set you up for whatever reason."

"Hiei-sama…" Naoko said, her voice shaking. "What if…what if…who or whatever killed Touya comes after anyone else?" Hiei knew immediately what she was thinking, and he put his arms around her shaking shoulders reassuringly.

"Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to me or anyone else." Naoko sighed and moved closer to Hiei, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You don't know that." she replied in a soft voice.

"Just don't worry, okay? Everything's going to be alright." Hiei smiled, trying to comfort his distressed life partner.

"Alright, i-if you say so…" She looked out the window at the darkening sky. "It's getting late, I think I'll just get some rest…"

"Naoko, are you feeling okay?" Hiei asked, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You look like you haven't slept in days." His statement was true—Naoko was ash-pale and seemed slightly lethargic.

"Yeah, I'm alright…just tired." Once she said that, Naoko turned around and walked into her room.

It felt fairly late the next morning as Naoko woke up and reached over to her nightstand for her glasses, feeling slightly less exhausted then she had before. Once she had them on, she glanced over at her alarm clock that read 10:45 in glowing scarlet. She yawned and stretched her arms after having changed into her usual outfit. Then, she paused for a moment. There was something that didn't feel quite right. Something…that was hard to place and yet felt like it should be so obvious. The house she shared with Hiei sounded…so quiet. Silent, in fact. Their house was _never_ totally silent, not to her foxlike hearing. After a moment, Naoko heard a light knock on the front door. She sighed and walked out of her bedroom and into the front room where the door was. Suddenly, she froze. Her entire body stopped, paralyzed with fear and shock. Unconsciously, the earth demon's badly trembling black nailed hands moved lightly over her mouth. Every bit of color drained from her face as she stared at what was in front of her. She vaguely heard another light knock on the door, but it sounded faint, as if from a long distance away. In front of her, in almost the same exact place where she had last spoken to him was Jaganshi Hiei. Naoko would have thought he was unconscious, if not for the bloodstains on his already crimson shirt and the blood covered sword lying nearby…a katana with a metallic green blade…_Naoko's _katana. It was almost as if the earth demon was in another place and time, and a sound registered in her mind: a woman's scream. It took her what felt like five solid minutes to realize she was the one screaming. Kaname Hagiri, who had been on the other side of their front door, teleported inside just in time to catch Naoko as she blacked out.

Later…

When Naoko finally regained consciousness, at first she couldn't tell where she was. She blinked and sat up, glancing around. She had been lying on a couch in a house she was far too dazed to recognize.

"Oh, Naoko, you're finally awake." Naoko knew that female voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it until Tsuya Hagiri walked out and sat down on the couch next to her, concern in her raspberry eyes.

"Tsuya…hi." she replied in a soft voice, realizing whose house she was in. "…Was I having a nightmare…?" The twenty-year-old woman shook her head sadly.

"You weren't. I'm really sorry, Naoko." The earth demon ran one hand through her hair, looking confused and slightly sick.

"…Where's Kaname?" she asked in a shaky voice. "and for that matter, where the hell is Kuronue?"

"My brother should be coming back any minute. And as for Kuronue, I wouldn't know."

"I'm right over here." the transparent bat demon said in a quiet voice, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, leaning on a nearby wall. Naoko looked over at him, shivering.

"This is getting really…really…"

"Unlikely." Tsuya cut in, one hand on Naoko's shoulder. "I can't think of any demon that would be strong enough to kill Touya and Hiei." Naoko sighed, her shoulders trembling badly.

"…I can think of one." Kuronue said in a quiet voice.

"Wh-what did you say?" Naoko asked, trying to maintain her composure.

"Think about it, Naoko. Touya was killed with your scythe, and Hiei was killed with your sword. I'm sure you haven't forgotten about Youko." Kuronue said in a calm tone.

"Who're you talking about?" Tsuya asked. Sighing, Naoko explained:

"You could say I used to be schizophrenic. Youko was the name of my other personality—the cold, calculating, heartless, fully demonic part of my personality. Let's just say she wasn't what you'd call a joy to be around…"

"And…you think something like this might-?"

"It's possible, at least. I'm not saying you're doing this consciously, if you're doing it at all."

"Damn it, Kuronue, I didn't kill anyone!" Naoko angrily snapped, standing up in a lightning fast motion. "I'm _not_ insane, I know I'm not! If I had Youko or any other personality living in my mind, I would know it!"

"Calm down, Naoko-" Kuronue replied, not looking at all surprised at her sudden anger.

"_Don't tell me to calm down!_" the earth demon yelled angrily. "That's _exactly_ what Hiei-sama said to me last night, and I don't need to hear it from you!" Tsuya stared at Naoko in shock, and Kuronue merely sighed.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry, Naoko, that was kind of stupid of me to say." Before anyone could say another word, Sniper walked in the front door, sighing.

"Oh, Naoko, you're awake." he said with a forced, halfhearted smile. "Are you okay?"

"I, er…I'll be fine, Kaname."

"…If you're sure." Sniper replied, sounding less than convinced. "And you seem unusually quiet, Kuronue. Normally you would have insulted me at least once by now."

"Well, maybe I don't really care about our pointless arguments right now, Sniper." Kuronue snapped in an ice-cold voice.

"Apparently you aren't, since you seem all too willing to start one right now." Sniper shot back angrily.

"Kaname-" Tsuya started to say in an attempt to stop her visibly upset brother, but Kuronue interrupted.

"Listen to me _very_ carefully, you trigger-happy idiot. Hiei was like my brother and I really don't care to hear anything _you_ have to say regarding his death. So either you can shut up right now or I can force you to shut up." the bat demon thief replied with cold finality. Sniper looked like he was about to say something, but stopped himself and instead sighed, sitting down next to Tsuya.

"Yeah, alright." the sharpshooter said after a momentary silence. Naoko sighed and ran one hand through her hair.

"Naoko…" Tsuya said, her hand on Naoko's shoulder as she tried to think of what to say next. What words of consolation could a human of twenty years offer an immortal of over six centuries who had lost everything? The only two demons she had ever loved had both died, and Tsuya knew Naoko was blaming herself. "Naoko, I…it's not your fault. Please don't think it is." Naoko looked over at Tsuya with a strange coldness in her eyes, almost like residual shock.

"Of course it is, Tsuya." Naoko replied in a toneless voice. "Don't you get it? Kuronue's right, I'm the one killing everyone."

"Naoko," Kuronue replied in a strangely calm voice, "I was wrong, okay? You could never hurt Touya, let alone Hiei." Naoko didn't answer, her eyes downcast.

"He's right." Sniper said, looking determined. "Naoko, I always respected you as a fighter. You and Hiei never hurt or killed anyone without a reason, and I know you would never even think about hurting Hiei, Touya, or any of our friends." Sighing, Naoko stood up and walked out without a word. Sniper watched her leave, surprised by this seemingly random act.

"…I should go talk to her-" he started to say before Kuronue interrupted.

"No, you shouldn't. I've seen Naoko like this, and believe me, she'd much rather be left alone." the indigo-eyed thief said, adjusting his trademark hat.

"You sound so calm about all this, Kuronue." Tsuya said in a quiet tone. "Why on earth-"

"Because, Tsuya," he replied in a voice with a cold edge, "I come from a family where emotions aren't worth a whole hell of a lot. And besides that, Naoko's been through this pain once, I know she'll get through it again." After a momentary silence, Sniper walked out, still intent on talking to Naoko. Tsuya sighed sadly, left alone with Kuronue.

"I think I'll go out for a while." the telepath said quietly.

"Yeah, whatever." Kuronue replied casually.

Later…

Sniper found Naoko sitting on the edge of a stone bridge over a small river not far from her favorite park. Pale pink sakura petals drifted by her off the nearby trees with each spring breeze. One thing broke the gentle serenity of that moment: the fact that Naoko was staring at her scythe with a cold look in her eyes—almost like she was ready to accept her own death.

"…Naoko?" Sniper said, approaching her cautiously. She didn't take her eyes off the razor-sharp blade in her hand, replying.

"It's over, Kaname." Her voice was completely empty of emotion and life.

"What are you talking about?"

"My life is over. I can't…no, I _won't_…allow myself to live any longer. I've already killed two people I'm close to, and I won't risk hurting you or Tsuya."

"Naoko, y-you can't…I won't let you kill yourself!" he said, raspberry colored eyes locked on the scythe in her hand.

"Would you rather I killed you? I'd sooner die than hurt you like that, even unintentionally." Her voice was colder than ice, and Sniper realized that this was the voice of a woman who had lost all hope.

"You…you can't do this, Naoko. Hiei wouldn't have wanted you to kill yourself."

"Then we'll deal with that in the spirit realm. I don't care, as long as we're together."

"…Damn it, Naoko…please don't do this."

"Give me one good reason not to, Kaname, and I'll reconsider."

"Because…because I…" The black-haired sharpshooter realized he had run out of things to say, so he said the one thing he had wanted to tell her for so long. "…I love you, Naoko." This response seemed to catch her off guard: her icy expression didn't change, but she actually looked over at him for a moment. Then, slowly, Naoko replaced her shimmering silver weapon on her belt and got of the bridge, turning around to look at him.

"You humans are all the same." The cinnamon-eyed woman said in that same emotionless voice. "You meet one girl that's slightly attractive and you think you know what it's like to fall in love. Let me tell you now, Kaname Hagiri: You know absolutely nothing and your affection will forever remain unrequited. You have _no idea_ how I felt about Hiei-sama or Kuronue, and you have no idea how I felt this morning when I realized I lost the _one_ person that understood how painful it was for me to be completely alone after Kuronue died!" The icy tone in Naoko's voice had melted away as she spoke, replaced with a blazing anger and frustration. Sniper just stared at her in surprise for a minute, at a complete loss for words. Naoko sat down on the bridge again, hiding her face in her long fingered hands.

"Kaname…" the earth demon said in a shaking voice, "I hate myself, I absolutely hate myself… This is all my fault…"

"N-Naoko…No one thinks any of this is your fault. I trust you and I know you'll never hurt me. So…_please_…don't kill yourself." Naoko looked over at him for a moment.

"…Kaname…" Without any warning, the earth demon threw her arms around him and started crying uncontrollably into his shoulder. "Why is all of this happening? Why does everything always have to happen to me?" Both valid questions, for which the sharpshooter didn't have an answer. He put his arms around her shoulders and said in a reassuring tone,

"I don't know, Naoko. I really don't. All I can tell you is that I'll do anything to help you. I hate seeing you hurt like this, and I just wish I could help you." She pulled away from the dark-haired psychic and stared at him in silence for a moment.

"I wish you could, too." Naoko stated plainly.

Later that night, back at Kaname and Tsuya's house…

The sharpshooter and the earth demon walked back in, and Sniper looked a little concerned.

"What's wrong, Kaname?" Naoko asked, concerned.

"Nothing, it's just that…Tsuya's car wasn't where it had been when she left. I'm a little worried something could have happened to her."

"How could it have?" Naoko replied in a quiet tone. "I've been with you the whole time."

"Naoko, I already _told_ you this isn't your-"

"Before you start arguing," Kuronue said, suddenly appearing next to Naoko, "maybe you should look at this." With a calm snap of his long, pale fingers, the spirit turned on the small television nearby. Naoko could never understand how he did that—something about manipulation of electromagnetic waves. All she knew was that she didn't like it. It reminded her too much of that movie _The Ring_, with the possessed videotape and whatever. This time Kuronue turned it on, however, Naoko had the feeling something terrible was about to happen. It was a news broadcast, so the earth demon knew it must have been around 10:00.

"…and now for our breaking news." the reporter said in that fake, scripted voice reporters have as he surely read what he was supposed to say. "There was a major accident on one of the main roads of Mushiyori City about ten minutes before the hour, involving a pale green Nissan Sentra." After just that first sentence, Sniper instantly turned ash gray from shock. Naoko and Kuronue both knew why—there had been a pale green Sentra parked outside before Naoko and Kaname left. It was Tsuya's car, her most prized possession. "The accident occurred when the driver of the car, a woman approximately twenty apparently crossed an intersection at speeds exceeding sixty only to be broadsided by an approaching eighteen-wheeler. While the driver of the truck suffered only minor injuries, the young woman was killed instantly."

"Kuronue-" Naoko managed to say in a forced voice. Understanding what she was going to say, he snapped his fingers again and shut it off. Sniper, shaking badly and looking like he was in total shock, sat down in a nearby chair.

"Damn it…" he said quietly, "…Tsuya would _never_ have done something so stupid." Silently, Naoko put her hand on his shoulder.

"It's possible this might not have been an accident." Kuronue pointed out.

"Care to tell me just how the hell someone could have killed my sister like that without anyone noticing!" the raspberry-eyed teenager snapped viciously. Kuronue, remaining calm and with his arms crossed as he leaned against a wall, said:

"Some demons have powers of invisibility and some can't even be seen by humans. To be rather straightforward, I don't think this would have been hard to accomplish for someone like that."

"…Kuronue's right, Kaname." Naoko said in a gentle, reassuring tone. "I know Tsuya wouldn't have done something like that, deliberately or otherwise." Sniper looked at the cinnamon-eyed fox spirit. Every shred of evidence that showed the unbearable pain she had displayed less than an hour before was gone, replaced by a consoling smile. He knew that she was always like this—ready to place the happiness of her friends before her own.

"…Naoko…" he started to say, then fell silent for a moment. "I swear I'll find the bastard that's doing this to us and kill them myself."

"And I'll be there, fighting with you. I won't allow the injustice done to my family go unpunished." Naoko replied with a hardened, resolved edge to her voice.

"I won't, either." Kuronue said in a slightly sadistic tone, smirking coldly.

The next morning…

Sniper found himself leaning against a sakura tree outside, watching the pale pink flowers drift to the ground with each slight wind. He still couldn't believe he would never hear his sister's smart remarks and dry sense of humor again. For some reason, the events of the previous day hadn't seemed to set in. The raspberry-eyed psychic wondered if this was what denial felt like. _No, that's ridiculous,_ he thought, _it's not like I'm expecting her to walk over any minute now and apologize for being late, same as usual. I know that's never going to happen, but I just…don't feel anything._

"Kaname?" Naoko's voice suddenly cut through the air from behind him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh…hi, Midori." Sniper replied, glancing over his shoulder for a moment.

"…Are you alright? You've hardly spoken since last night." Naoko's voice carried a note of concern.

"I'm fine." he replied, perhaps a little too quickly.

"But you're not, Kaname." she said, looking worried.

"…I'm sorry, Naoko. For what I said to you yesterday, I mean." Sniper was almost desperate to change the subject. "I'm not an idiot. I know there can never be anything between us, I just…had to say it."

"I understand, Kaname. I shouldn't have let myself get so upset. It's just…I felt so frustrated with everything that I just had to lash out at someone. Actually, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I never meant to sound so angry."

"It's okay. Just forget about it." Naoko sighed, and a moment's silence passed between them.

"Although…" Naoko started to say, hesitating for a moment. "What you said yesterday did stop me from taking my own life, and for that, I'm grateful. Thanks, Kaname." The teenager managed a smile and a laugh that was only slightly forced.

"I'd do it again in a second. I don't know what the hell would happen if I lost you as well as everyone else." Naoko smiled.

"It's good to know my life still holds some value. It's strange, isn't it…" Sniper suddenly recalled the last time she spoke with that tone, on that April the 25th that seemed like years ago. "Like I said, time still continues on, just as it always has. Some demons like me might say how their immortality makes them superior to humans like you, but their lives are just as fragile as yours, and, unfortunately, can end in an instant." Her voice held a note of emotional torment for a moment, but when she spoke again, it had vanished. "The only way we can be truly immortal is to become impervious to pain and untouched by any weapon or attack that could possibly be directed at us. This, sadly, is impossible." Sniper just watched as Naoko continued, half talking to herself. "The life of anyone and anything is just like the day itself. My life, while significantly longer than yours, will fade to the darkness of twilight someday, whether by my own blade or the blade of a demon assassin out to steal my title of _Kementàri_." That title was sought after by all earth demons in Makai with even the slightest power, and Sniper knew that. He also knew it meant 'Queen of the Earth'. "I merely think it unfortunate that my past and present have been filled with such pain and sorrow."

"Naoko…" he said quietly. "…I'm sorry." Her cinnamon eyes held pain and torment within them, but she smiled for him and replied,

"There's no need to apologize. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be rambling on like this." She laughed, trying in vain to sound like the emotional agony wasn't tearing through her heart like a thousand knives of ice.

"…I didn't know." Sniper replied quietly. "Well, I mean… I did know, I guess. I just never thought about it. You're an unstoppable fighter, and an amazing spellcaster. It just never occurred to me that someone else might be able to-"

"Someone is." Naoko's voice held no emotion. "Someone's strong enough to kill both of us, and I'm sure they're just waiting for one of us to look away before they kill the other."

"I won't let that happen." Sniper's voice sounded determined as his raspberry-colored eyes turned ice-cold.

"And neither will I." Naoko replied quietly.

That night, Naoko had fallen asleep on the couch, her seemingly constant exhaustion apparently getting worse. It was then that Sniper saw the note on the table, written in an unfamiliar script.

_To Kaname 'Sniper' Hagiri: _

_I've been watching you and Naoko for a while now, and I'm sure you're sufficiently upset about the recent murder of three friends of yours. Well, I happen to know who's killing them. I am, and I'm willing to give you one chance to try and exact vengeance on me. I'll be waiting for you in the park at midnight, and then we'll have our little fight under the cherry blossom trees. I certainly hope you'll be there on time._

The note contained no signature, and Sniper didn't have the slightest clue who could have left it. The clock nearby read 11:50, and he _did_ know that he didn't care who wrote it, but in ten minutes, he was going to kill the murderous bastard. _Wait,_ he thought to himself, trying not to let his desire for revenge render him incapable of rational thought. _Why the hell does this letter have my name on it and not Naoko's? That doesn't make sense, unless…_ Suddenly, realization struck like a bolt of lightning. _Unless __I'm__ the one this bastard is after. He might have killed Touya and Hiei just to make us think that Naoko was the one behind all this, or to make it look like he wanted to kill both of us. _One thing was certain: this was his fight, and he wouldn't risk Naoko getting hurt over it. Glancing over at her for a moment, he walked out in almost total silence, ready for anything. Then, after a moment, Naoko stood up, having heard him leave. With a strange look in her eyes, she followed him, undetected.

12:00 A.M exactly…

Sniper glanced around the silent park lit by a crescent moon, his back against a sakura tree. No one was in sight, but he knew that would soon change. After a moment, he saw someone suddenly materialize nearby, having teleported about five feet in front of him.

"Wh-what the…?" Sniper said under his breath. He knew who that person was, and there was no way this was the one who had written that note, who had killed everyone… But there was no one in sight save for that person

"Naoko, what the hell are you doing here!" There was no way this was happening…no way that Touya, Hiei, and Tsuya had been killed by the same Naoko he knew, the same Naoko he had always called 'Midori'…the same Naoko he had fallen in love with. The green-haired woman smirked, her eyes not making direct contact with his.

"What am I doing, Sniper?" Naoko replied in an ice-cold voice that was frighteningly calm. "I'm just doing what I should have done a long time ago." This didn't seem like Naoko at all. Not only was her soft, relaxed voice emotionless and cruel, she was smirking evilly and still not looking at him directly.

"You're…not Naoko, are you?" Suddenly, the pieces came together, and the psychic had an idea about who killed their friends and family. It was the one person that knew Naoko better than she knew herself…the person that had pointed out it could have been Naoko herself killing them…the one that was always there.

"Precisely, Sniper." replied Naoko, or whoever she was.

"Wh-who the hell are you!" the psychic sharpshooter demanded. Someone had possessed Naoko, and Sniper had a sinking feeling he knew who it was.

"You already know who I am, Sniper." the one possessing Naoko said in that same calm, cold voice. "I am the one who controls the shadows and manipulates the darkness. I am the shadows of the night itself… I am the darkest blackbird, and my name is Kuronue." As he spoke, Sniper realized he was trapped. Escape wasn't an option—he had never run from a fight and he wouldn't start now. And the whole time Kuronue had been speaking, branches and ivy had been growing from apparently nowhere down Naoko's right arm and twining around her hand: a precursor to her most deadly attack. Sniper could hardly move, knowing that this time he was the one that was targeted.

"…Why the hell did you kill them?" he asked, his eyes ice cold.

"Because of Naoko and Silrowen, of course." He sounded so calm…Sniper wanted nothing more than to attack and destroy him, but the eighteen-year-old knew that was impossible. Even if he _wasn't_ using Naoko's body, Sniper would never in a thousand millennia be able to defeat Kuronue. "Everything I've done has been for my Naoko and our daughter. Touya Kori was an idiot who thought he had a chance with Silrowen, and Jaganshi Hiei thought he could have stolen Naoko from me."

"Wh-what! You said Hiei was like your younger brother!"

"Well, I lied." the bat demon thief stated plainly.

"What about my sister? What did Tsuya ever do to you! She hardly even knew you!" Sniper wanted now more than ever to hit Kuronue once, but he would die rather than hurt Naoko.

"Well, Sniper, it's like this. While Hiei did try to take Naoko from me…you, a pathetic human…you wouldn't let go of the false hope that maybe you had a chance with her. Naoko is part of one of the most famous families in the demon realm. You're lucky she didn't kill you on sight. So, I killed your sister to send a message of sorts to you before this moment came…before I finally killed you." Sniper knew he was going to die right there, but he was only concerned with one more thing.

"What about Naoko? What are you going to do to her?"

"Oh, nothing. Once she wakes up and realizes she's killed you with her own hands, I suspect she'll kill herself. Then we'll be together on my plane of existence for all eternity." Sniper smirked coldly, an almost determined look in his eyes..

"And _I'll_ be there to make sure you don't get anywhere near her."

"I suppose we'll see about that, won't we?" Kuronue replied with an arrogant smirk.

"You sadistic bastard…" Those were the only words Sniper managed to say before Kuronue used Naoko's voice and body to unleash her most devastating attack.

"_Phoenix of the Earth Goddess!_" The last thing the jet-black haired teenager saw was a flash of white light from Naoko's right hand, a quick motion of deadly plants taking the shape of a huge phoenix flying right at him…and then twilight descended with a sudden darkness.

/owari/


End file.
